Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold Part 3
by BATulip
Summary: Gabe's plans to eliminate Vincent starts to fall apart, as more and more complications arise, it becomes evident that the only way Gabe can possibly save himself is if he saves Vincent first.


**Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold**

Gabe stormed into his office, it was not going to be a good day. He had spent the majority of last night with Catherine going over cases and evidence to try and exonerate Vincent from the charges that were laid against him for the murder of Curt Windsor. Catherine didn't know that Gabe was actually behind the charges but that didn't matter. Then the ambush to kill Vincent had gone sideways and Vincent had escaped. Gabe had arranged to have Vincent moved to the court house jail, during transport, the van he was in was supposed to be hit. It was to look like a revenge hit from someone associated with Curt and Tori Windsor. One of the occupants of the other vehicle was supposed to shoot Vincent before disappearing. That didn't happen as Vincent seemed to have anticipated being attacked and took out the shooter and then knocked the guards unconscious. At the moment Vincent was on the run but a manhunt for him was in progress with orders to shoot to kill. Gabe figured it was just a matter of time before Vincent was found and killed. Catherine had left as soon as news arrived of the accident and he had not heard from her since but Gabe knew that her apartment was being watched, knowing it was one of the most likely places for Vincent to show up. Vincent may be clever and resourceful but he didn't know how determined Gabe was to eliminate him and Gabe knew all of Vincent's weaknesses.

Catherine paced her apartment, she knew the police were watching both the front and back entrances to her apartment building waiting for Vincent to show up. What they didn't know was that Vincent didn't need to use either the front or back entrance to get to her apartment. Catherine had already swept her place looking for any listening devices that may have been planted during her absence, so far everything seemed clean. A soft thump from her bedroom drew her attention, she turned up her stereo to a louder than normal decibel to cover any conversations just in case and then headed towards her bedroom. Even though she knew he was there, Vincent's sudden appearance at her bedroom doorway caused her to momentarily pause before she ran towards him and grabbed him in a fierce hug. Vincent wrapped his arms around her and drew her to him holding her tightly as though afraid of being torn apart again.

"I was so worried you wouldn't show up." Catherine whispered. She pulled back a bit to look up into Vincent's eyes, putting her hands on the side of his face she pulled him close and kissed him. Vincent savored the taste of her mouth on his and he clung to her, tears coursing down his face. Catherine pulled back and looked at Vincent, she had felt his tears fall on her face as he kissed her. "Vincent. It's going to be okay, we're going to figure this out. I'm not going to let you go to jail."

"Catherine, this was no accident. Someone is trying to kill me. This whole thing, my being arrested, it was all planned out. I just had to see you one more time before I disappeared, to tell you I love you." Vincent stated softly resting his forehead against Catherine's, listening to her breathing, listening to her heartbeat, breathing in her scent, committing it to memory. Vincent had no idea how he was going to survive without her but knew he could not risk her life, he had to leave her and never return. These thoughts alone were like a dull blade tearing his heart to pieces, he was starting to think coming to see her had been a bad idea as he wasn't sure he could tear himself away.

"What makes you think I'm going to allow you to walk out of my life again? I already figured out that all this was planned. I need to show you something, come with me." With that Catherine lead Vincent back to her bedroom, kneeling by the bed she reached under it and pulled out a duffle bag. Setting the bag on the bed she turned to Vincent. "I'm already packed. I figured we had two choices; either we stay and fight or we take off and disappear somewhere where no one will ever find us. Question is do we choose door number one or door number two?"

"Catherine, you can't come with me. I'm too dangerous to be around."

"So, you're saying we run? Well, let's go then." Catherine grabbed the duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder, she looked at Vincent expectantly.

Catherine's defiance brought a small smile to Vincent's face, she really was adorable. "Catherine, I can't let you give up your whole entire life to go on the lam with me. We will be fugitives, having to constantly look over our shoulders we could end up like Bonnie and Clyde." Vincent was trying to scare Catherine into staying but if the look on her face was any indication, she was not having any of it.

"Then maybe we should stay and fight this thing. There is no proof, no evidence. All they have is circumstantial evidence and the fact that you now own all the Windsor assets."

"Ya, about that." Vincent said with a cringe, "I had no idea Tori did that, she had left a wad of cash at the boathouse and I've been living off that but it was starting to run low. When the police interrogated me that's when I found out about the rest. I really had no idea until yesterday."

"Tori never told you about it?"

"No, I guess she didn't figure on dying the way she did and never got the opportunity to tell me."

"Without Tori to collaborate it's only your word against their suspicions."

"Catherine, there is no getting around this. The only witnesses are you, JT and Gabe and we all know what really happened."

"I know, it's just you're not that same person you were then and it was because of Tori that both you and Curt lost control. It was self-defence, you were protecting the rest of us from Curt, a little more brutally than necessary maybe but still. The bad part is we had to hide the truth as you were still hiding your identity. What we need to do is find character witnesses. Witnesses to state what kind of person you are and to find evidence against Curt and his shady dealings. We know he built his entire empire using his beast skills to rule like a mafia godfather. We just have to find the evidence to prove he was a criminal and had enemies enough who wanted to kill him. All we need is to cast enough shadow of a doubt to get the conviction over turned then you will be a free man and we can go on with our lives."

"And my escape? How are you going to explain that? If I turn myself in again how do I know I won't get charged for escaping and what's to stop whoever it is that tried to kill me from attempting it again?"

"We'll tell them the truth, the transport vehicle was attacked with the intent on killing you. You escaped to save your life and came right to my home to surrender to someone you felt safe with. We will have to see about getting you placed in protective custody. Wonder if Gabe would be willing to help with that?" Catherine mused out loud.

"I wouldn't go to Gabe actually if I were you. I wouldn't even tell him that you saw me."

"Vincent, you don't have to be jealous of him. I'm done with him."

"I'm not jealous but I have a hard time believing he isn't behind all this. I know Gabe isn't my number one fan, in fact he has gone so far as to indirectly threaten me if I didn't stay away from you."

"Threaten you? How?"

"It wasn't anything he said outright it was more of a subtle hint of an 'or else' kind of thing."

"Well, he denied it to me but he could have been lying. We won't be able to keep it away from Gabe, he's the ADA, and he will most likely be the first to find out."

"Which also makes him the most logical choice to be the prosecuting attorney."

"We need a good defence lawyer. Someone who can stand toe to toe with the DA's office. First thing would be to make sure Gabe doesn't sit at the prosecutors table at all or have anything to do with the case. I'm sure we can use conflict of interest as a reason to keep him away from the case. "

"How do you so much about all this?" Vincent asked taking Catherine in his arms again.

"I was in law school when we first met you know. It wasn't until after mom was killed that I decided to change careers and become a cop."

"So much has changed since that first night. I've wreaked havoc on your whole life, if I could go back and change things."

"Vincent, listen to me. We can't live our lives on the 'what ifs'. You and I are meant to be together. I believe that completely and so should you. We will overcome this just like we've overcome everything else thrown at us so far."

"We're better together than we are apart? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"Yes, we are." Catherine smiled up at him. Vincent marvelled at the woman in front of him. He cherished her completely, she was able to infuse him with enough hope that he believed he could conquer the world if she so asked him to. Vincent drew her closer and kissed her, drawing strength from her lips as she returned his kiss matching his passion with her own. The world faded away as the strains of Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro" surrounded them, covering them in the protection of orchestral sound. For now they were safe wanting one last moment together before they had to re-enter the world and face the evil that was constantly trying to separate them.

Gabe paced his office, frustrated and annoyed that no one was able to locate Vincent. Gabe had check the security cameras around Catherine's apartment as well as being in contact with the officers monitoring her building but there hadn't been any sign of Vincent showing up. Gabe knew Vincent had ways of getting into Catherine's building undetected but usually they could find him through facial recognition from one of the street cameras. So far Vincent was able to allude being detected, for all Gabe knew he was already with Catherine but without probable cause all they could do was wait and hope Catherine emerged from her apartment so they could follow her. Gabe had tried to contact Catherine numerous times but her phone kept going directly to voice mail. When he asked Tess if she'd heard from Catherine Tess told him that Catherine had gone home, was turning off her phones and hiding out for a day or two and that she didn't want to be disturbed unless it was an extreme emergency. In other words, no one was to contact her unless they found Vincent. They had raided JT's place and the houseboat, the only evidence they found was the orange jumpsuit Vincent discarded when he stopped at the houseboat for normal clothes and it appeared they had missed capturing him by mere minutes. A knock sounded at Gabe's office door, taking a deep breath to compose himself, he opened the door to find Chef Commissioner Gray on the other side.

"Commissioner, to what do I owe this honour." Gabe said gesturing the man to enter his office, closing the door.

"Gabe, looks like we have a bit of a problem on our hands. The mayor is extremely upset over the arrest and escape of the cities war hero Vincent Keller. What do you know of this man and how on earth does a prison transport van get t-boned with the obvious intent of killing said war hero? I'm a little concerned about these charges considering who he is and what he's been through what with his amnesia and all. The mayor is concerned that in an effort to find someone to pin Windsor's death on that because of Vincent's association with the now deceased Tori Windsor that the department isn't engaging in a witch hunt. You do know where I'm going with this right?"

Gabe was not liking where this conversation was going. He had to think quickly.

"Well, I don't really know him sir aside from what I've read in the papers. I know he was dating Ms. Windsor up until she was killed by Sam Landon's hired thug. I believe she willed the entire Windsor estate to Mr. Keller as well. It is looking as though Mr. Keller may have killed Curt Windsor in order to help Tori and himself gain control of the estate. If I'm not mistaken Ms. Windsor's father was extremely protective, not even letting her out of the home without constant protection. I'm sure at her age having her father tell her where she can and can't go and whom she can and can't go out with caused some kind of mental break? Mr. Keller already confessed to having amnesia and not remembering much of his previous life, maybe he's not as stable as everyone wants him to be."

"Hmm, and what do you know of this Detective Chandler? It was in her home that the 95th found him and arrested him and it appears he wasn't there for any police advice, if you know what I mean. I know you were acting Chief of Police to clean up after Joe at the precinct where she works and I also heard rumours that you and her were dating. Maybe all this is about jealousy? What do you think about that?"

Gabe could feel his blood-pressure rising, forcing a calm he did not feel he responded with as much lightness in his voice as he could muster. "Commissioner Gray, I assure you, Detective Chandler and I went out a few times, had some laughs but we're just friends, we don't have those kinds of feelings for each other. It's obvious that Mr. Keller has a way with women and has obviously moved on from his relationship with Ms. Windsor. I'm sure Detective Chandler is now aware of Mr. Keller's darker side."

"Yes, well. What of this accident that happened that caused Mr. Keller to escape? Why was he being transported in the first place? If I'm not mistaken his trial date isn't until next week, that he didn't even have a lawyer appointed to him yet."

"We have people looking into that now. It appears that Windsor's gang may have hacked into the system in order to get Mr. Keller out onto the streets."

"Hacked? Someone HACKED into the courts data base?" The Commissioner was on his feet now, leaning over Gabe's desk, letting the full extent of his fury show. "Explain to me how some lowlife, HACKS into government computers, re-arranges schedules and gets an inmate out into the public to try and kill him?" The Commissioner stepped back but did not sit down, using his stance he looked down on the ADA. Something in Lowen's demeanor did not sit right with him, he wasn't sure what it was but it wasn't right.

Gabe sighed, he had to be careful or all his plans would go out the door. "Sir, we aren't entirely sure what happened, we are only assuming that the system was hacked. I assure you we are doing all we can to find Mr. Keller and bring him back to prison so he can get a fair trial. It's only a matter of time. We will even put him in protective custody, make sure nothing happens to him."

"See that you do. A word of caution Lowen, the Mayor is not pleased with this recent turn of events regarding a man so recently honoured as a war hero. The newspapers are having a field day with this story and getting other veterans riled up. You can imagine how this looks to the department and to the Mayor." At this pronouncement the Commissioner threw the Daily News onto Gabe's desk. Front Page headlines read: "When the Police get Desperate, They'll Arrest a War Hero". "If Mr. Keller is not guilty of Windsor's death, if this turns into a three ring circus it will be your head on the chopping block. Have I made myself clear in this?"

"Yes, sir very clear." Gabe remained sitting staring at the headlines as the Commissioner left his office. He should have known the newspapers would take this spin on Vincent's arrest. The Newspapers were all over how the city and states handled their honoured veterans, most of it not good. This could end up being another blight on the city. For the first time Gabe wondered if this was actually a good way to handle Vincent Keller. Gabe had no idea how long he had sat there staring at the newspaper, wondering what his next move should be when his cell phone chimed. Glancing at the cell screen he saw it was a text message from a blocked number. All the text said was 'Call me NOW'

"Great," Gabe muttered to himself, "can it get any worse?" he dialed the private number and waited for Bob to answer.

"Gabe, what's going on? First I noticed the scathing newspaper headlines and now I see on TV the latest breaking news that after an attempt was made on Vincent's life that he is now an escaped convict on the run from authorities. I was under the impression that he was going to be killed but now not only is he still alive but is all over the news. I had no idea you were going for sensationalism."

The sarcasm in Bob's voice was unmistakable and cause Gabe to cringe, he knew what Bob was capable of and although the threats from the Commissioner was bad, being threatened by Bob was a thousand times worse. Bob knew things, things that could destroy Gabe for good and Gabe did not want any of those things to come to light.

"I just got chewed out by the commissioner on this as well. I'm not entirely sure what happened, the details are a bit sketchy at the moment. If I were to guess, I'd say the men I hired decided to take matters into their own hands and deal with Vincent in their own way rather than follow my plan. Now they're all dead, Vincent is gone and I don't know what to do about it at this time."

"When you told me your plan, I voiced my concerns about the plausibility of this working, I see I was right in my assumption. I have a better plan but first you need to find him, bring him back to prison and get him cleared of these charges. Not that I care anymore if it gets out that I was involved with Vincent killing Windsor but you have to remember who else was there, namely Catherine and yourself. I know how to get rid of Vincent, remember I've been eliminating beasts for years, including yourself I might add. Good thing Catherine knew how to resuscitate you or you would still be dead. Any questions?"

"No."

Gabe's one word response made Bob smile as he disconnected the call. Bob knew his words had hit home. Gabe was now his pawn, poor man had no idea how weak minded he really was. Bob was going to enjoy getting rid of Vincent but he was going to relish even more getting rid of Gabe.

Vincent and Catherine stood on the rooftop, next to the ledge looking down to the street below. They were both watching the police vehicle across the street contemplating, their hands clasped together, fingers entwined. Vincent lightly squeezed Catherine's fingers causing her to look up into his face. Catherine put her hand on his cheek as he lowered his forehead to her own.

"Are you ready for this?" She asked him.

"No, I'm not but I know it has to be done."

"You know, there are a lot of things I love about you. One of them is your brave heart. I will be right there with you every step. I will not abandon you and I will do everything in my power to make this right."

Vincent pulled her in and held onto her before setting her back. "Let's get this over with. We've already spent too much time together. It may be hard to explain what all occurred between the time I escaped and now."

"It takes time to get from your boathouse to my place across town, they don't need to know you can run faster than anything on land. Glad it's the only thing you're fast at." Catherine teased.

Vincent chuckled at her teasing, kissed her soundly and turned her back towards her apartment. "Come on vixen, time to turn myself in."

Vincent took a deep breath and followed Catherine into her apartment and out the door leading to the elevators that would take them to street level. Catherine held tightly to Vincent's hand, he could hear her heartbeat racing in fear, it mirrored his own and at times it was hard to distinguish whose heartbeat was whose. When the elevator arrived they rode it down to the lobby. The ding of the elevator reaching its destination caused them to squeeze each other's hand for strength as they walked through the doors and out onto the street. They stood there as the police in the car across the street stepped out of their vehicle, guns drawn shouting for Vincent to get down on his knees with his hands in the air. Catherine stepped in front of Vincent with her hands in front of her yelling back at them to put their guns away that Vincent was unarmed and surrendering willingly. The officers pushed her out of the way as they proceeded to handcuff Vincent. Amidst all the confusion and yelling, Vincent said not one word but kept his head down and remained complacent as he was cuffed and lead to the police car waiting across the street. Once he was seated in the back of the squad car, Vincent raised his head and looked out at Catherine still standing across the street, her sorrow leaving streaks down her face. He continued to watch her as the car drove away. Vincent knew Catherine would doing everything she could to get him released but the feeling of abandonment and loneliness still assaulted him as he was being driven towards his fate.

Catherine watched the squad car drive Vincent away from her until it turned the corner and was lost to her sight. She brushed the tears from her face, set her jaw and stormed back into her apartment. She had no time for self-pity, she had to rally the troops, gather information, find evidence that would free Vincent once and for all and she had to find a good defence lawyer. Thankfully she had her father's estate, she wished she had access to the Windsor estate but those were frozen until Vincent was exonerated. Catherine grabbed her cell phone, dialed and place the phone up to her ear.

"Tess, we need to meet. Vincent just turned himself back in and is heading back to prison. Think we can meet at JT's?"

"Ah, I thought he would go to your place. I saw the breaking news but that was hours ago. I gather you two took a bit of a time out from the world? Why did he turn himself back in, why not go into hiding until we could clear his name?"

"We thought about it and I was going to take off with him but he didn't want that. Said going into hiding was no life, having to constantly look over your shoulder, never getting to interact with other people, always living in fear of being found possibly killed. Vincent just didn't want to risk it and I didn't want him to go it alone. I convinced him that his best chance was to be completely cleared of all charges so that he could go back to living life on his own terms."

"Do you think Gabe is behind all this? I mean he's the only one who really has any kind of motive."

"If my cell phone messages are any indication, quite possibly. He did say that he wasn't going to let Vincent hurt me, at the time I didn't think he was issuing a threat but only stating that he was going to be watching him for any adverse behavior."

"Well, he's been all over me looking for you. The man takes the word obsessed to a whole new level."

"We'll have to keep an eye on him. Find whatever information you can on Curt Windsor and bring it with you to JT's, I'll meet you there in an hour."

"Sounds good, we'll order pizza."

"I'm not very hungry but you guys go ahead."

"Cat, you need to keep your strength up, you won't be any good to Vincent if you fade away to nothing."

"I don't think that will happen" Catherine chuckled, "I'll try, I just feel guilty having pizza when all Vincent gets is prison food."

"Just stop those kinds of thoughts, grab what you need and get your butt to JT's."

Disconnecting the call Catherine gathered all the info she had kept of all of Vincent's exploits as Bob's hired killer. All this was her late-father's fault and now Vincent was facing the consequences of having his memory wiped, being changed into a super-beast and brainwashed into being a killing machine all because Bob was on a beast witch hunt to eliminate anything and everything to do with beasts. It really was a good thing Bob was now dead because Catherine wanted nothing more than to tear a strip off that man. Lamenting over something she really had no control over was only wasting precious time and brain space. Catherine threw all the documents she had into a box, she put on her jacket, grabbed the box and her keys, left her apartment and locked the door behind her. Standing at the elevator waiting for the car she wondered if she could gather enough evidence to clear Vincent's name. Trials can be such a gamble sometimes and if Gabe really was gunning for Vincent then the battle might be a lot harder than she thought. Stepping into the elevator, she rode it to the lobby, exited the building and headed for her car. She unlocked the car, set the box on the front passenger seat and closed the door. Just as she was walking around to the driver's side her cell rang, she answered it forgetting to see who was calling.

"Hello?"

"Catherine? It's me, Gabe."

Catherine inwardly cringed "Hey Gabe, what's up? I'm kind of in a hurry here."

"Sorry, I was just informed that Vincent has turned himself in. It looked like there was an attempt on his life? I was wondering if you wanted me to get him placed in protective custody. I'm sure I can make those arrangements to keep him safe."

"Wow, news travels fast. I was actually going to call you and ask if it was possible for him to get protective custody. I didn't think you would actually offer to do it but if you can I would be grateful as it seems someone wants to kill him." With all the speculation that Vincent's arrest was due to Gabe, Catherine was slightly surprised by his offer to help.

"Well, don't go giving me too much credit. The Commissioner had stopped by earlier to see me and he said some things, I won't get into it but suffice it to say I'm sure he would be grateful for this, as well as all parties concerned."

"So you're not doing this out of the goodness of your heart but to save face with the commissioner. Is that what you're saying?"

Gabe heard the unmistakable coldness to Catherine's voice and it gave him chills, he was not winning any friends today. "Catherine, I would be lying if I said I was over you. I'd be lying if I said I was no longer hurt or angry that you chose Vincent over me but I also don't want to hurt you and if that means protecting Vincent for you then that is what I will do. I also do have an ulterior motive though, mainly that you and I were both present when Curt was killed. If Vincent goes down for this then there is a very good chance we all could get caught in the crossfire and I sure as heck don't want that."

"Well, whatever your reasons are I am grateful that you are somewhat willing to help us."

"Well, it could very well be my neck on the line just as much as it is Vincent's so I have to make this go away somehow. I would like to help out, I'm the prosecuting attorney but I'm going to dismissed myself from the case due to conflict of interest. I may not be able to be actively involved but I can at least get you the name of a good defence attorney. I'll also try to keep an eye on the case from my end just to make sure no surprises come about that could cause issues during trial."

"You would do this?"

"Of course Catherine, I told you I loved you and I meant it. Even if you don't have those same feelings for me I will still do what I can to help you and be there for you, in whatever manner you allow me."

Catherine wasn't entirely sure how to take all this so she just thanked Gabe and told him she would call him later to get that attorney information and to find out if he was able to get Vincent into protective custody.

Catherine got in her car and placed her phone in the holder attached to her dash she stared out the windshield for a few moments contemplating the conversation she just had with Gabe. Feeling like she was missing something, she shook her head and started her car putting it in gear. Pulling out into traffic she headed towards JT's place still mulling over the conversation. It was at odds with what Vincent thought, that Gabe was behind his arrest, either Gabe was playing both sides of the fence or he didn't have anything to do with it. Best to stay alert either way she thought to herself and keep as far away from Gabe until she knew for sure who was behind Vincent getting arrested and why.

A half hour later she pulled up to the gentlemen's club, she got out and went to the passenger side for the box. She noted that Tess's car was there already and that it looked like it had been there for a while, a long while, it had rained earlier that morning and Tess's car was wet but underneath was dry, she had to have been there for at least 5 hours since it was now two in the afternoon. Catherine was too distracted to really understand what she was seeing, figuring that JT and Tess were working Vincent's case as well.

Tess and JT were sitting side by side at the row of computers that JT had set up ever since Vincent's disappearance months earlier. The programs he had been able to get from Homeland Security, the LAPD and even NASA all due to Gabe's pull and influence was invaluable and he knew that he had to be very careful how he used them or he could be in just as much, if not more trouble than Vincent was. JT's techno savvy knowledge enabled him to hide his IP address as though the systems were being used by the officials they were created for but any internal IT computer geek who knew what they were doing could catch on to his unauthorized usages and effectively shut him down sending the SWAT team knocking at his door. These thoughts caused sweat to break out on JT's forehead and when Catherine came barging in he jumped out of his chair scaring Tess who bumped her chair back causing an avalanche of papers and folders to fall to the ground.

Catherine laughed at the look on Tess's face as she glared at JT "I'm sorry JT did I scare you?"

"It felt like an angina attack." JT stated putting a hand to his chest.

"Angina? Really?" Tess smirked, "you screamed like a little girl and scared the devil out of me."

"How long have you two been at this?" Catherine asked

"Um,' JT hid behind the computer screen, punching buttons, "let me see we started at around…"

"Oh for heaven's sake JT. We've been at this since around 8AM" Tess told Cat shaking her head.

"8AM? Really? Why on earth were you here at 8AM? Either you're really dedicated to helping Vincent or there's something else going on here." Catherine's gut was telling her it was more the latter than it was the former, some instinct that said something was going on with these two but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Cat, we both want to help clear Vincent's name that's why we've been at this since 8AM." Tess replied effectively evading the question. Catherine decided to let the matter drop for now.

"Okay," she replied "What have you found so far?"

For the next hour the three of them went over all the information they had, so far it didn't look too promising. The question they all had but were hesitant to answer was how Vincent was pegged for Curt's murder in the first place. Without having access to what the prosecution had for evidence it was hard to know how to start, where to go or who to talk to.

"What we need is a kick ass defence lawyer but I don't know who is good and who isn't and then there is the matter of money to pay for said kick ass defence lawyer. I don't know how we're going to do this." JT lamented putting his head in his hands.

Tess rubbed his back, "don't give up, as cops we know who's who in the world of lawyers, we'll find someone."

"Exactly and Gabe has said he would help find one too."

At the skeptical look from both JT and Tess, Catherine shrugged her shoulders. "I know he's in the courts of the enemy right now and that we have to be careful how much we trust him but we need all the help we can get."

"Ya and if he's the one who gave up Vincent to those enemies I'm sure he'll be right happy to help us out." The sarcasm and bitterness in JT's voice was hard to miss and Catherine winced at his tone.

"I know it looks that way and I really hope your wrong but we're running out of options. I don't want Vincent locked up at all let alone for the time it's going to take to get these charges dropped."

The three of them sat in silence contemplating what their next move would be when Catherine's cell phone chimed indicating she had a text. She glanced at the text "Huh" she muttered and turned the phone so that both JT and Tess could see the text.

_I have a name for you, call me._

"Well, speak of the devil." Tess muttered

"Let's see first who he has in mind, we can filet him later." Catherine stated as she dialed Gabe's number.

Catherine stood and walked away a bit to talk to Gabe in private, actually she didn't want to be distracted by the constant looks that kept passing between JT and Tess. Clearly they were not on board with her enlisting Gabe's help but Cat was coming to the end of her rope and was desperate to get Vincent back no matter what it took.

"Gabe, I got your text message. You have a name for me?"

"I do, her name is Victoria Jackson and she was most willing to take on this case. I've already spoken to her on your behalf."

Catherine was shocked, "That was fast. I can't believe you are suggesting Victoria Jackson. She's a fortune Gabe, how on earth am I ever going to be able to afford her retainer let alone the fees she charges. I know she's the best but…" Catherine let the rest of the sentence fade out.

"I know, that's why I'm going to offer you some more help and I know you will want to refuse but hear me out first. I will help pay for Vincent's defense as much as I am able to and when he is released and the Windsor monies are passed to him in accordance with Tori's will then he can pay me back."

Catherine burst out laughing, "Gabe, you can't be serious. You can't, you don't…..I don't even know what to say. This is ridiculous, you can't pay for Vincent's defense. If it gets back to your office, the whole trial could get thrown out and declared a mistrial and we would have to start all over again. You could get disbarred, it's crazy for you to even offer such a thing."

"Catherine, like I already told you, if it gets out that I was involved, that any of us were involved with Curt's death then it won't matter any ways. Look they won't find out, I have an account that I keep hidden, it's an off shore account and before you start questioning me about it suffice it to say I have it and let's leave it at that for now. If I use that money no one will know it's from me. Look, I need to help you with this. I've already been questioned if I knew Vincent and the connection with you and I just don't want any of us to get caught up in this trial for any reason. It's bad enough that Vincent is being charged."

"Yes it is bad that Vincent is being charged, have you been able to find out how all that came about? I know we talked about it when it happened."

"No, I'm not permitted to look at anything now as I have been told to stay away from the case due to conflict of interest, guess I didn't have to worry about having myself dismissed. Apparently it's already known my connection to you and your connection to Vincent. It's just all too close for comfort, so that is why I got a hold of Victoria. We could all end up being scrutinized if any more connections come about. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any DNA evidence, that much I was able to find out."

"If you can't get any information how is that going to help our defense?"

"I have some ideas that I have already given to Victoria. Look do you want her number or not?"

"Fine, let me grab a pen and paper." Catherine walked back to the table, JT and Tess were staring at her intently and she just shrugged, grabbed a pen and paper and told Gabe to give her the number. After jotting down the number she told Gabe she would call him later to let him know how things went.

"Thanks for this Gabe, I really do appreciate it." She told him.

"I only want you to be happy."

Disconnecting the call, Catherine sat musing over the conversation. Once again Gabe had startled her with his seeming change of attitude towards Vincent when he had been so opposed to him before, even to the point of being antagonistic. Catherine hoped Gabe was being sincere and not manipulative. With a sigh she relayed the conversation to JT and Tess. When she was finished the look of incredulity on both their faces cause her to burst out laughing.

"Are you serious?" Tess asked her.

""Serious as a heart attack it would seem." Catherine answered her back ruefully.

"Will wonders never cease." JT quipped back with a smirk.

"I should contact Victoria Jackson and have her meet with me before introducing her to Vincent. I still can't believe Gabe got her to accept Vincent's case, her track record alone makes the prosecution scared to come up against her. That woman is a bulldog when it comes to defending people and she is very picky about the cases she chooses."

"I know, makes me think Gabe may have already greased her palms." Tess added.

"He does want to help pay so I wouldn't be surprised if he already paid her something. Well, here goes nothing." Catherine said as she dialed the number Gabe had given her.

When Gabe got off the phone with Catherine he immediately dialed the number Victoria had given him to contact her directly, it wasn't the number he gave Catherine, this was a special burner phone Victoria had strictly for conversations between her and Gabe. Victoria was no one's fool, the burner phone was set up to record all conversations should she need them, with Gabe none the wiser. What she didn't know but suspected was that Gabe was most likely recording their conversations as well. Being a lawyer you trusted no one and no one trusted you, it was the name of the game and they all played it.

"So, to what do I owe this call?" Victoria said answering the phone.

"I wanted to give you a heads up that you should soon be receiving a call from our mutual friend." Never one to take chances Gabe was careful not to mention any names.

"So, I gather our 'friend' is willing to accept my assistance?"

"I think so, it took a bit of convincing though."

"I'm sure it did, I myself am a little perplexed at your involvement."

"I have a vested interest to see this matter taken care of and made to go away. Things are getting too complicated for my liking and it needs to be resolved. I'm sure you understand."

"Oh, I understand completely." At that moment Victoria's secretary buzzed her office phone. "I have to go, that just may be the call I've been expecting." With that Victoria disconnected the call with Gabe and answered her intercom "Yes Tracey?"

"Ms. Jackson, there is a call for you from a Detective Chandler on line 1"

"Thank you." Taking a deep breath Victoria answered the call on line 1.

"Hello, Victoria Jackson speaking"

"Hello Ms. Jackson, my name is Catherine Chandler, I'm a detective with the NYPD special crimes unit. I was given your name and told to contact you regarding the recent arrest of Vincent Keller. Is it possible for us to meet?"

"Of course it is Detective. Should we meet in my office or would you prefer somewhere else?"

"I can come to your office if that is more convenient for you"

"Sure, let me check my calendar here" Victoria said flipping pages in her calendar looking for an appropriate opening. "Hmm, it looks like I won't have an opening during the day for a few weeks and I am under the impression that this is of a more urgent matter. Are you free in the evenings? We could meet for dinner or at coffee shop?"

"Of course. Whatever you choose will be fine."

"Okay. I know this great Italian place called Saul's would you like to meet there?"

Catherine couldn't help but grin at Victoria's suggestion, Saul was a long-time friend of hers and she knew they would be given complete privacy to speak. "I know Saul's very well," she said.

"Great, let's meet there tonight at 7PM."

"Works for me, see you then." Catherine was still smiling as she disengaged the call, for the first time since all this happened Catherine was starting to feel a bit more hopeful. Meeting at Saul's Place felt like a sign.

Gabe decided that there was one more person he needed to contact before calling it a day. Dialing the number he waited with a bit of anxiety for the call to be answered.

"Gabe, what have you got for me?"

"I was able to convince Victoria Jackson to take the case. Catherine is talking with her now."

"Excellent and you explained that no matter what she was to make sure Vincent never goes to trial and that her main task is to get the case thrown out?"

"Ya, that took quite a bit of finagling to get her to understand the importance of that."

"How much did that cost you?"

"$500 grand upfront with the promise of $2.5 mil if she succeeded."

Bob whistled over the phone. "Wow, I had no idea you had such funds available."

"Ya well, that pretty much wipes me out. I explained to Catherine that I will expect Vincent to pay me back as I'm sure he will end up with the Windsor inheritance, which by the way is far more substantial than anything I have."

"Did you tell Catherine what the plan is?"

"No, I wasn't sure I should. If she knew my plan, I'm not sure she would go for it, mostly because there is no guarantee it will work."

"It had better work for your sake. If this gets dragged through the court system who knows what kind of skeletons will get unearthed. There is no way I am going to allow anything to sully Catherine's name because of this fiasco and since you're the cause of it, well let's just say you don't want to see what I would do if that happened. Catch my drift?"

"Loud and clear." With that Gabe heard Bob disconnect the call. Gabe walked over to the window of his office, it overlooked the bay, on most days this sight would calm him but not today. These recent events was starting to fray his nerves and he wondered and not for the first time, if he would actually survive once all was said and done. Having had enough for one day, Gabe gathered his briefcase and coat and left the office. He decided he was going to lock himself in his apartment, drink some wine and try to forget everything, at least for tonight.


End file.
